Posted on 11/19/2015 6:43:58 PM PST by Colonel_Flagg
For Stephen Colbert, the late-night honeymoon appears to be over.
The dose of reality comes upon tracking the last three weeks available on the ratings front. But first, a quick review of where we were and how we got here on the late-night competition front: outside of Colbert's opening week, NBC's Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show have beaten his CBS competition every week with plenty of room to spare. No surprise there, as even CBS execs concede they had no illusions of beating Fallon as Colbert and The Late Show find their groove. But that's not to say Colbert has disappointed anyone at the Tiffany Network, either, finishing a solid second ahead of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel in both total viewers and the demo in September and much of October.
Most importantly for Colbert, he's found a niche in offering what the Jimmys can't really offer (particularly Fallon): consistent political satire and more substantive interviews with big political guests (his interview with Joe Biden as the vice president openly displayed his inner conflict on running for for president was widely-praised in this space and pretty much everywhere else). But therein lies the rub: most sit-downs with politicians don't exactly result in riveting television (outliers like Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton to a lesser extent notwithstanding). And Colbert has shown almost no willingness to hit both sides of the aisle even close to equally...it's simply not in his DNA.
Consequently, according to a Hollywood Reporter poll just released, Colbert has successfully alienated self-described Republicans who see what’s being offered on a nightly basis and exploring or staying with other options. And with the country as polarized as it is, the host is thereby saying goodbye to half his potential audience, which can't be a sound business model.
(Excerpt) Read more at mediaite.com ...
I’m pretty sure dead air would bring better ratings for CBS than Stevie. Most of their audience still thinks Letterman is in that time slot.
How ‘bout....the other guys are funnier.
Fallon is our favorite as well.
Colbert’s audience skews younger than Kimmel or Fallon, which is what cbs was looking for.
The problem is that fewer young adults watch those late night talk shows.
If ratings mattered to liberals, they’d have shut down CNN and MSNBC long ago.
Where’s that Simpsons Aha! guy?
Happy for the schmuck that he loses out, playing only to his sycophants.
There will never be another Johnny Carson. I have no desire whatsoever to listen to any of these pretenders.
The Man Show is comedic gold
Fallon is very talented. I hope he gets his act cleaned up. People keep seeing him out drinking and snorting coke at all hours, and he keeps “falling” and sustaining serious injuries. He’s got the world on a string; hope he wakes up right quick. He’s likeable and funny but he can’t go on much longer like this.
Kimmel is a friend of Tim Conway Jr (evenings on KFI AM 640 in LA and I heart radio) and when he comes on Tim’s show, he is very normal, common sensical, and a bit to the right like Conway. Definitely they love to mock the bleeding heart leftists.
His guest tonight:
Hanoi Jane.
You know, it's funny, when that infomercial comes on for Carson's DVD collection ... I watch it.
That’s a great point!
I hope you’re kidding. Not that I’d ever watch.
I must agree. I’ve entertained the idea of purchasing some of his DVD collections, which are expensive. Same with Carol Burnett’s show.
Painfully, spikes in ears, scratching your eyes out unfunny. And a crumbum.
Colbert’s whole act is like a bad Saturday Night Live skit that has gone 15 minutes too long.
Colbert is a legend in his own mind.
He’s a snarky, disagreeable PIA, but he thinks he’s funny and intellectual.
Didn’t he think his huge following and dynamic personality (/s) would sway voters to support his sister’s run for political office in S. Carolina.
He was shocked and hurt when he didn’t and she lost.
Understand Antennae TV is planning to run reruns of the show, as part of routine programming.
I like Fallon generally, but I can’t stand him as host of the tonight show. His monologue is awkward and juvenile, he mugs too much as he plays the frat boy long past his expiration date. Every guest has to play some sort of beer pong like game with him. Laughs way too hard at the guest’s jokes too- so put on. I much prefer Kimmel.
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